TIV Issue 2 March 2016

Issue 2: March 2016

Second Term has been both a busy and produc ve me for the students and sta at IBSB. Looking through this issue there is much to celebrate and to be proud of. I would like to personally thank everyone for their hard work and to congratulate all those involved in running the ďŹ rst COBIS MUN, which was an unequivocal success.

Once again we are leading towards the future in educa on.

Aura Bogdan Execu ve Director

Contents Page

2

Editor’s Note

SPORTS

3

Head Prefects’ Message

47

Athletes within our school

4

Head of School Message

48

Athletic Grand Prix

SCHOOL UPDATES

50

Paul Georgescu Interview

7

Parent Guest Speaker

STUDENT VIEWS

Maria I.

11

IDOEA

53

Life in the 6th Form

Teacher Coordinator:

13

The Kangaroo Project

54

MFL Cuisine an Experience

Ms Andrea Carman, Mr Paul Jennings

14

ESU Public Speaking

55

Growth Mind Set

Junior School Whiteboard:

15

World Book Day

56

Our Greek Christmas

57

PSHE Prefect View

Staff & Editorial Coordinators Student Editor:

Ms Andreea Rus

CAS

Student Journalists/Contributors

17

Visit to Soldanu School

58

New Years in Quebec

Milena V. , Dilara Y. , Radu F.

18

Animal Rescue Open Mic

60

Student Interview

ALUMNI

61

Book Recommendations

20

Sebastian Mararu

62

Book Reviews

21

Catrinel Vlad

64

Holiday with Parents still cool

22

Anonymous Alumni

CREATIVE CORNER

23

Liam Hughes

67

Everything you know is a lie

24

Ken Sequeira

71

The Door

25

Steve Sequeira

72

Photography

74

Ballroom of Boxes

Zoe S. , Andrei D. , Adriana B. Catrinel C. , Ken S. , Steve S. , Liam H. , Catrinel V. Sebastian M. , Christie V. , Matei S. , Lena S. , Anda I. Achille R. , Tamara M. , Yagmur O. , Gekko I. , Maria M. Stephanie L., Maximilian M. Contributing Staff Mr Kendall Peet Mr Ciprian Tiplea Mr Robert Hewett Ms Alan Cornish Ms Katie Bickell Ms Jane Broadhurst Ms Blessy Savu Mr Afzal Shaikh Ms Johanna Croci Mr Ciprian Iacob Ms Cristina Marascu

Office Staff Contact Information: Address: 21-25 Agricultori St.

Primary School staff Photographer Mr Silviu Nastase

WHITEBOARD 27

Welcome Message

28

Early Years

29

Year 1

30

Year 2

31

Year 3B

32

Year 3D

33

Year 4

35

Year 5

36

Year 6

37

Ski Trip

SCHOOL EVENTS 39

Burns Supper

District 2, Bucharest, Romania,

40

Carol Service

021841

41

Dragons Den

Tel: (+4) 021.253.1698,

42

Performance Morning

Fax: (+4) 021.253.1697

43

COBIS MUN Secretary General

E- mail: office@ibsb.ro

44

COBIS MUN

Layout: Ms Lea Cohen

Website: www.ibsb.ro 1

Editor’s Note

Hello everyone, As the months flow by, and the snow melts before our very eyes – winter fades into the rebirth of spring, signifying the appearance of another TIV issue. Our writers have been more enthusiastic than ever, and so hopefully you have hours of interesting reading, as soon as you finish my editor’s note.

Since the last issue, our school has tirelessly attended many events such as the spectacular Burn’s dinner, or on the other hand created our very own grand event such as the COBISMUN that consisted of an incredible amount of dedicated students and teachers, who selflessly gave up their own time to the organisation of this international conference.

Spring also announces the arrival of the examination

2

Session, quickly approaching – many of our students, especially in 6th Form, have begun intensely studying for their subjects for the high grades they deserve. I would specifically like to thank Ms Carman and Mr Jennings for their immense contribution in this issue, as I have been quite busy with the arrangements of the MUN and the general upkeep of my own preparation for my exams.

I shall keep this short and sweet - I would like to once again mention how honoured I am to have such an amazing position and how lucky I am to witness the amount of exhausting work that is put into creating such a marvellous piece for our closely-knit community.

By Maria I. (Year 12)

Head Prefects Message Dear TIV Readers, We have been busy as a prefect body over the past few weeks, with many events taking place since the last TIV issue came out; the biggest event by far for this year was our school hosting the inaugural COBISMUN Conference of 2016, attended by schools not only from throughout Europe, but from all over the world, including Nigeria, India and Qatar! Most of the prefects were directly involved in the event, notably with Maria Ion serving as the Secretary General of the Conference and Catrinel Craiu as the Deputy Secretary General and President of the General Assembly, as well as chairing one committee each. The two of them did an excellent job and put months of work into the event, which turned out to be a great success! Kevin and Dilara also took on the role of Logistics Managers, ensuring the event ran smoothly which is not an easy job at all for a conference of 150 people – and Adriana was with the Press and Marketing team, preparing training videos for the conference and keeping track of what was going on during the conference, contributing to the daily MUN Feed. Zoe took care of the social aspect, hosting some of the social events and receiving our diplomatic guests and I hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies alongside Cora.

venture out into the “real world” to university, where we will have to fend for ourselves – okay, maybe I am being a bit dramatic, but still…

The May/June exam session is also coming just as quickly, which is probably what will keep the prefects busy in the weeks ahead.

Overall, it has been a wonderful experience for Zoe and I so far; it has been a privilege to work alongside a group of dedicated, hard-working and outgoing people!

We wish everyone the best of luck in their exams: may the odds be ever in your favour!

However, even though the prefect body was visible in the organization and running of the conference, I must say that the overall level of student involvement was staggering: many other students were involved in the MUN either as organizers or by participating in the conference itself as delegates. It really was a team effort, with students working relentlessly alongside teachers for a full four days. In the end, however, everyone agreed it was well worth it.

Another school event, this time directly organized by the prefects, was the Annual Winter Ball. Congratulations to our events prefects Catrinel, Maria Mihai and Adriana for putting together an amazing event, getting people (including some teachers) to show off their best dance moves; there are some cool pictures on the school website as evidence.

By Zoe S. (Year 13) and Andrei D. (Year 13)

As for Zoe and I, the Graduation Ceremony looms ever closer, reminding us of the fact that we will soon have to

3

Head of School Message Whilst ‘Teaching and Learning’, as this relates to the Curriculum of England, is certainly the focus of school life at IBSB, creating a strong, vibrant School Community is also very important. It requires extra effort from our students, but also from our parents and staff to take time out of their busy schedules to offer that little bit extra of themselves, knowing that what they invest into the School Community will be returned threefold in friendship and support, and in the many ways that are not always directly measurable.

great job this year creating activities to support this vision, coordinating a number of significant days intended to celebrate and raise awareness regarding some of the special days on different religious calendars, including so far this year Divali, Hanukkah, and Presepio. They have also been central to the process of celebrating World Book Day, and were the driving force behind the annual Halloween Party.

The Role of the PTF

Social Events

Central to this process of ‘Community Building ’is the PTF- Parents, Teachers and Friends Association- who add both value and colour to our school calendar with their numerous projects undertaken. This year we are particularly lucky in having an extremely dedicated PTF Committee that has been more effective than ever in developing the IBSB ‘Community Spirit’ both on and off campus. Much of the credit must go to our PTF President, Claudia Marta, who is someone with seemingly unlimited reserves of energy, forever busy working with our parents and various groups in the community to arrange both school and social events for the entire community to enjoy.

The PTF have also arranged a variety of opportunities for parents and staff to socialise together outside school this year. Stan Platt has invited us to join Light into Europe at the Bonfire Night Celebrations, (which took place outside at the Crowne Plaza), at the Caledonian Ball, and at the Burns Supper, which took place this year at the Intercontinental Hotel, with the St George’s Dinner still to look forward to this year. Alina Pascale, also invited us over to her beautiful house on the lake for a BBQ after the Parents vs Students Annual Cricket match, and has been a big support in helping arrange a number of the events already mentioned.

Sunday Brunches

The PTF Sunday Brunches are a relative new comer to the IBSB social calendar, but have been warmly received with the number of parents and staff joining in increasing with each event. My wife and I recently attended a PTF brunch at the Radisson Blu Hotel on March 13 - which you can read about in this issue in Celebrating Cultural Diversity more detail - and I have to say it left us wanting more. In fact, a number of those present agreed to make it a As an International School, celebrating cultural diversity regular monthly event as our children had a great time is extremely important. Inclusion and cultural tolerance playing together and we adults had time to eat and chat are central to the IBSB Vision: ‘Building a Community of and catch up on the latest news, to share parenting passionate, lifelong learners.’, and the PTF have done a 4

stories, as well as stories about life in Bucharest and Romania. We discussed the summer holidays and what we are all planning and offered advice and tips on places to go and things to see and do. It was great! I even arranged a trip with another father to the Tandarica Theatre with our children the following Saturday, which was fantastic.

incredible involvement of our patents. In fact, word about our programme has spread so well that we have even been contacted by companies which do not have children placed in our school, asking if they can join our programme, which shows just how much the IBSB Community is growing; word is spreading

Parent Visits Parents are also contributing to building the IBSB Community in a number of ways. I have seen a dramatic increase in the number of parents offering to come in to speak with our students as a part of the ‘Life Skills Career Path Programme’, which Ciprian Tiplea writes about in this issue. It seems like almost every week we have a parent in school speaking with the students about their job and area of expertise. Charles Vernon stopped by to speak with our students about a career in An Expanding Alumni You get out of life what you put in We also have our student graduates from IBSB and they are adding value to the IBSB Community in a number of ways. They are returning to speak about their experiences at the universities they are at; they are guiding groups of IBSB students visiting these universities, as happened with the London University Trip this year where we were met by IBSB graduates at each university we visited; and they are continuing to keep ties with the school as they go out into the world to work, creating more links for our students to benefit from in many ways.

law, Ms Constantinescu has arranged a variety of visits in regard to business and business leadership, including a visit from Ms Bontas in May to speak to our students about the Bucharest Stock Exchange, and Ms Simona Gemeneanu will stop by in April to speak about Entrepreneurship and starting a company, to name just Thank you a few.

Class Visits and Work Experience There are also many parents opening up opportunities for our students in the form of class visits and Work Experience. It is thanks to our parents that our students are able to visit the Danone and Heidi Chocolate factories, and can carry out Work Experience in PwC, Leaua and Co., and the St Mary Clinical Hospital. Our Work Experience Programme is probably the best in Romania, by far I would imagine, because of the

So thank you to the Students, Parents, Staff, and the growing number of Community Partners we are now collaborating with. IBSB is, without a doubt, a great school with a Community that we can all be very proud of, and this is all down to the fact that everyone is putting so much into what we do and helping to spread the word that this is great school.

By Mr Kendall Peet Head of School

5

School Updates 6

Parent Guest Speakers

At IBSB, we strongly believe that the school’s partnership with parents is fundamentally important in providing the best possible education for our children. With this in mind, we are very keen to involve our parents in our Life Skills sessions as part of the Careers Programme. Please see below a few details about our guest speakers this year. This is just a glance at their profiles, but I can tell you with no hesitation that their involvement and contributions were of great value for our students. Having the opportunity to listen to real life stories, and to find out important facts about various domains of activity, has a very positive impact on the way our students will make decisions about their careers and life in general. We are grateful for their contributions and we take this opportunity to extend the invitation to all our parents for the next academic year.

Mr Dutu Alexandru – Engineer Experience: Working with BTL Industries, medical equipment (www.btlnet.com) for 19 years.

Incorporating and developing during the last 7 years local offices in 20+ countries in Europe, South America, South East Asia, North and West Africa. Understanding and promoting the mutual respect between different cultures.

School Visit: Mr Dutu came to the school to talk to Year 10 students about “Cultural Differences in Business”.

Globalization vs. Local Culture Business Etiquette, Negotiation Differences Business Incorporation In Different Environments - Tax, Legal Is There a Right Approach?

7

...continued Mr Dragos Nicolaescu Experience: Mr Nicolaescu has 20+ years of experience in solving executive issues, managing international teams and founding several companies to offer integrated mentoring, coaching and consultancy, focused on measurable long-term changes. He has spent the last couple of years coaching over 300 individual clients to improve their professional life, using his own methodology, and mentoring over 70 start-ups in creating a sustainable business from their passion, using the Lean Start-up methodology.

About: A successful entrepreneur and business leader, Mr Nicolaescu has offered his time and experience to talk to our students in Year 10 about the challenges and opportunities related to opening a business, the attributes of an idea that can easily turn into a good business and gave us a few secrets related to how can risks can be evaluated before starting and investing in an idea. In addition to this, Mr Nicolaescu was also one of our Dragons in the Dragons’ Den competition.

Ms Simona Gemeneanu Experience: Ms Gemeneanu is the Co – founder of Morphosis Investments. After a successful career at PwC in Romania, Ms Gemeneanu has moved abroad to study and work in Prague, Paris and London. After 15 years spent abroad she moved back to Romania to start her own entrepreneurship journey. In September 2015 she set up Morphosis Investments, a PE Fund targeting Romanian companies with international potential; a newly set up investment firm focused on

Mr Andrei Pietruschevici With a background in the IT business, Mr Pietruschevici is now the Managing Director for Enterprise Business Systems.

8

Romanian companies with international potential. The focus is on marketing, sales and finance expertise, as well as international networking in order to transform purely local jewels into global success stories. Ms Gemeneanu has offered to talk to our students in KS4 about her experience in multinational companies and her view and expertise on the entrepreneurial world in Romania.

Mr Lucian Marin Profile: Team Coaching Professional Coaching Field Coaching Experience: With vast experience in sales and commercial management, Mr Marin has been working for a number of multinational companies (Coca Cola, L’Oréal, Danone, Vodafone) before opening his own business. He is now the founder and managing partner of Marco Polo Consulting.

Coca- Cola Hellenic Italy – Commercial Director Coca-Cola Hellenic Romania – Commercial Director Coca-Cola Hellenic Group – Group International Key Acc. Director L’Oréal Group – Commercial Director Central & Eastern Europe Danone Romania – Field Sales Manager Lu France – Category Manager Coaching training with John Whitmore Internal coach Coca-Cola Hellenic Coaching / Management Danone Group

Mr Charles Vernon Experience: Managing Partner for Vernon/David international law firm, Mr Vernon has kindly offered to talk to KS4 students about law as a career and international law in general.

Students could find out many important things about what it takes to become successful in this area, along with very interesting facts about law at the

international level and different paths and careers to follow by studying law at University. In addition, Mr Vernon was kind enough to share with us a few very useful and interesting facts about his career and about his journey to becoming a managing partner to one of the very few international law firms in Europe.

Mr Marius Ghenea About: A well known and succesuful entrepreneur in Europe, Mr Ghenea has offered to help our students in Year 10 with their projects for our Dragons Den Competition. Mr Ghenea was kind enough to spend time with our children in order to share some of his vast experience in the entrepreneurial world, talked about the qualities of a successful entrepreneur, the challenges of the real world and what does it take to achieve success in your career. At the same time, Mr Ghenea has offered very useful advice to the participants to the IBSB Dragons Den and the Interschool Dragons Den Competition.

Experience: Investment Director 3TS Capital Partners, serial entrepreneur and business-angel with successful investments in SEE, ranks in fortune Romanian survey Forbes, co-founder VentureConnect (regional matchmaking platform for tech start-up entrepreneurs and early-stage investors); Entrepreneurship, Innovation and New Business Ventures Professor, Maastricht School of Management EMBA program; coorganizer Schoolforstartups Romania, the first SE European entrepreneurship school; author of “Entrepreneurship”, the first Romanian book on entrepreneurship and TV dragon on the Romanian Dragons’ Den.

By Mr Ciprian Tiplea Deputy Head of School 9

10

IDOEA The Duke of Edinburgh International Award Diary notes of the Gold Qualifying Expedition… of the Good Little Donkeys On departure – on the night train Once upon a time, far-far away…

Are we there yet?

Little Donkey, we’ll be there soon enough. Listen to the story as the train takes us there...

But we’ll be travelling the whole night! … there was an enchanted realm of unfathomable beauty, where everyone enjoyed the pristine nature and lived in harmony. In the forests of that land there lived giants, who had piled up great rocks up to the clouds to mark their acres. Sometimes, the peace of the land was briefly disturbed, in the same way that a summer’s storm casts every living creature to shelter, rages, howls, and rips everything apart, to then exhaust and allow the calm to return. They say that one lady ogre was so upset with the dry and tenebrous land she inherited that she threw a shaft towards the nearest summit, cutting its peak short… This is how the summit came to be known as the Retezat – “cut off”.

- That’s where we’re going! When are we getting there?

- Soon, little donkey… Here’s another story… Another local myth tells the story of a brave shepherd who battled a terrible ogre that was pestering the local villagers, stealing their sheep and cattle, and hurting the farmers. After fighting for several days in a row, the young hero cut the ogre’s left hand – which fell so heavily to the ground that it left huge cavities on the soil. These hollows felt with spring water and became the lakes that we shall see tomorrow: Bucura, Ana, Lia, Florica, Viorica… And finally, the young hero beheaded the ogre and the ogre’s dead body turned into stone – the Retezat peak that I told you about… hmmm… you’re fast asleep…

The Expedition We arrived early and we were immediately impressed with the warm and hospitable nature of the people we met. It was obvious that they loved their homeland and understood the importance of safeguarding the natural environment. We saw evidence of this love and care throughout our journey. At the Tourist Information Centre of Nucsoara, our gateway to the Retezat Mountains, we got advice and information about our route. In Carnic we quenched out thirst with delicious organic, hand made raspberry syrup. On the mountain trails, the marking was fresh and clear, there were many informative panels, in excellent shape, inviting the young and the old to explore and learn more about this Romanian Garden of Eden. A special word of appreciation goes to the mountain rescue teams that we met along the way. Our journey would not have been the same without their constant care and endeavor; they work around the clock to ensure that each tourist is well-informed, and that the trails are in excellent shape, with the cairns almost as frequent as the paint trail marking. Like forest elves, always watching, always ready to help, they made our stay in Retezat one of the best experiences so far! The mountain rescue patrol from Bucura Lake, our camping destination, made us feel like home: they offered us sweets, hot soup, shared their stories, experience and advice with us. Thank you, Momo and Sorin!

As soon as we set foot on Stanisoarei Valley we decided that we were in love with the Retezat Mountains, with their wild, beautiful forests, the waterfalls bathing moss and blooming meadows, and their glacial lakes gazing at the clear, blue sky. Deciding to add optional parts to the

11

...continued full of serendipitous encounters, we met Gruia (y7), Lotus (y4) and their family at the camp site.

On the last day of our expedition we climbed the Peleaga Peak, where we looked back with pride and joy at a part of the trail we had climbed on the previous days, and then we started our descent through the Valea Rea (the Evil Valley) – a place that seemed to be cropped from outer space. We rushed past the lakes, the savin trees, the springs, and the blooming grasslands… it felt like falling from a fairytale back to the world from where we came.

journey was an easy task: climbing the Retezat peak was a bonus, not a hardship! We were plentifully repaid by the majestic beauty of the scenery.

On the third day we did the tour of the glacial lakes and investigated their specific features as part of our goal.

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to Mrs. Iulia Brătfălean-Igna, our Assessor and the expert in the Retezat Mountains, who watched over us throughout our journey. Our super special thanks goes to Ruxi, our new friend, who taught us the funniest games and without whom our adventure wouldn’t have been half as great.

And, as each expedition must have its element of suspense, we were caught in a hail storm, and had the chance to apply our recent knowledge about “how to take shelter from a thunderstorm in the mountains”. But all is well that ends well; the storm was soon gone, we saw a marmot… and horses, sheep, dogs, frogs, butterflies… And because the world is a small place and

12

If our story tickled your imagination and made you want to explore the Retezat Mountains, please let us know.

We’d gladly join you at any time (but realistically speaking, we are most likely to join you during the school holidays)!

By The Gold Team of the Good Little Donkeys

The Kangaroo Project It is well known that the educational portfolio is important in the admission to high school or university if it contains more extra curricular diplomas, and the students and parents should be aware that, sometimes, sitting an exam or participating in a competition is more important than the score.

In the early 80’s, a Math teacher from Sydney, Peter The IBSB students have understood the importance of O’Holloran, created a new type of Maths competition these competitions, and the number of students is based on a set of multiple-choice questions corrected by increasing every year due to the involvement of the staff computer which turned out to be a great success. and the parents who want their children to be more In 1991, two French teachers introduced the competitive in a society where competition is often the competition in France, under the name of KANGOUROU, key to success. and 120,000 students participated in this first competition. In the following years, the competition spread to 21 European countries and other countries Questions from the Kangaroo competition past papers: around the world including Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Columbia, Paraguay, Mexico and Venezuela.

Maths: The students of a school participate in a Maths In Romania, the first session was organised by the Sigma Kangaroo competition. If 28 students are distributed to Publishing House and the Cultural Services of the sit the test in a class, 10 students don’t have places. If 30 Embassy of France, along with the International students are distributed to sit the test in class, 20 Association KANGOUROU SANS FRONTIÈRES, in 1993, students don’t have places. Find out the number of when the students sat only a Maths test. Nowadays, the students who sit the test. students have the possibility of choosing to sit a test in any subject, such as Physics, German language, French language, Spanish language, and Romanian language; French: Laquelle de ces opérations ne nécessite pas the competition is addressed to all level students, d’ustensile de cuisine? starting with kindergarden and finishing with senior a) couper l’oignon school level.

Why should students that are interested take part in this b) mettre une quillère d’huile competition? The aim of the competition is to promote c) écraser le thon subjects like Maths, Foreign Languages, and Sciences, to d) répartir le mélange check and develop their knowledge, critical thinking, intuition, and the capacity of selecting and making the e) replier la feuille de brik right decisions on their own, based on the information given in the questions. Also, the students who take part

By Ms Cristina Marascu in the Foreign Language Competitions, have the option Kangaroo Competition Organiser to prove that there are no limits when they want to discover the language, culture, and civilization of other countries.

The Foreign Languages Kangaroo Competition organization is supported by the following institutions: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, French Embassy, German Embassy, the Canadian Embassy, Swiss Embassy, Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation in Bucharest, the International Organization of the Francophonie, British Council, Goethe Institute, and the French Institute.

13

ESU Public Speaking On Saturday the 23rd of January, IBSB hosted the English Speaking Union’s Junior Public Speaking competition for the fourth time. Our links with the ESU have enabled us to incorporate preparations for this competition into our own curriculum, with every Key Stage 2 year group taking part in internal contests after spending English lessons writing speeches.

Every year the competition gets more popular, and for 2016 IBSB had seven students involved in the finals. We also supplied some judges, namely Ms Hewett and Mr Ennion, who worked with judges from the ESU and other schools to decide on the final scores. As hosts, other Every January, one week is put aside for students to members of staff such as Mr Cornish, Mr Peet, and Miss discuss issues and then put together and deliver Orla were on hand to help run the event. speeches on certain themes. This involves some collaborative activities and coaching between peers, Spectators in Room 3 witnessed incredible performances before the students have to show great individual by Maria Sticlea and Andrei Vernon, who took both first determination if they are to really master their speech prizes in their group. Aryan Agarwal also took a first prize. Medeea Constantinescu, Ana Mihaescu and Rares Padiu gave great speeches in a competition that increases in quality every single year. Our final entrant, Luca Rusu, was completely new to the competition but managed to win a second prize by impressing judges with his discourse on the theme No-one belongs anywhere.

That IBSB took three first prizes and one second in a field of around 75 students is testament to the hard work put in by students with the guidance of their teachers. We notice that those students who return to the competition year after year get better and better with experience, so we are looking forward to seeing our current Year 5 competing next year, although our successful Year 6 students will have moved on to an and deliver it clearly and confidently. Public speaking is older age group by then. actually a very difficult skill, and many adults shy away from this sort of task.

Congratulations to Lisa P. (Year 10) and Stefan Anghel Many students impressed in school, and to be selected (Year 10) for placing1st and 2nd in the 12-15 IBSB Public to represent our school in the finals was definitely an Speaking Competition and to all the students who participated the class rounds and final. Another good achievement in itself. year for public speaking.

14

World Book Day and an Aladdin among the wonderful costumes on display.

Another exciting activity for Key Stage 1 was the visit of Ms Carmen Tiderle and Ms Claudia Marinescu (who also happens to be a teacher in our Year 1 class), both of whom have recently published children’s books here in Romania. The two authors read from their books and talked about their ideas and inspirations for writing.

World Book Day 2016 was officially on Thursday the 3rd of March, but at IBSB we celebrated it on Friday the 11th of March. The day itself was a very enjoyable experience for Primary School students, thanks to events organised by our staff and PTF. One of the most memorable features of the day was the visit of British author Stan Cullimore, who visited each class for some singing, storytelling, poetry and art. Stan is the author of more than 120 books for children, and he was very happy to meet our students to discuss their ideas. Stan ended his two days with us by signing copies of his books, some of which he left as prizes for our World Book Day costume competition.

World Book Day was a lot of fun for our students, but there was also a serious aspect to our celebrations. Key Stage 2 students took part in a sponsored Write-a-thon, which involved writing a story based on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. They had previously arranged sponsors who would donate a small amount of money per word, so when the stories were completed the students could count the words and collect the money for charity. Similarly, Key Stage 1 students took part in a sponsored Spell-a-thon, for which they had to learn a list of challenging vocabulary and again collect sponsorship money for each word they could spell correctly on World Book Day. The money raised was donated to Cartile Copilariei, a charity project which aims to supply children’s books to the poorest communities in Romania.

Students were invited to dress up as characters from famous books, and they did not disappoint! Across the school, Mr Cullimore noticed a Mad Hatter, a Pippi Longstocking, and a Harry Potter. There was also a lot of princesses, a few princes and knights, one bouncy tiger,

It was a very busy but enjoyable day for all involved, and we must give special thanks to our PTF, Mr Paul Jennings, Mr Stan Cullimore, Ms Claudia Marinescu and Ms Carmen Tiderle for making it such a successful event.

We are already looking forward to next year!

15

Community Action Service 16

Visit to Soldanu School can travel to new places, meet new people, and see things from different perspectives, but it is a different experience for everyone: a book is like a movie, directed by the person reading it!

After the students were captivated by Ms Croci’s words, Smaranda, from Curtea Veche, played a little game with the kids. She read aloud to them Homer’s Odyssey, asking them to close their eyes and listen very carefully, in order for everyone to discuss at the end how they envisioned the story; I can tell you that everyone had One very exciting part of this year’s CAS so far was the quite different versions, with avid debates ensuing visit to the Solandu school that Kevin, Matei, Ms Croci about the height of the Cyclops! and I made, along with the people from Cartile Copilariei – a charity project of the Cureta Veche publishing house, which our school collaborates with. Their aim is to promote reading, especially among the younger ones, and to remind everyone that in a world where smartphones, tablets and computers are omnipresent, a book still has its place - a very important one, too; this is why Curtea Veche donated a large number of books to the Soldanu school library. The visit was, for me, a completely new experience and I can honestly say I learned many new things, as I am sure my colleagues did as well.

We then gave out the books to the students, who were all very eager to receive them: they even started to make plans amongst themselves about swapping books once they finished reading the one they got; it was very satisfying to see that we managed to capture their attention and interest in reading and hopefully we will be able to keep doing this with as many children as possible.

Overall, as I said, it was a great experience for us, too!

We saw a school where, without numerous resources, a close-knit community thrived, making for a stimulating, happy environment. With the help of EU funds and As we arrived, we received an extremely warm, thanks to a close cooperation with the town hall, the traditional welcome: we were offered fresh bread with school was able to carry out several projects to salt, straight out of the oven, after which came some encourage students to take an active role in school life. amazing performances from the students at the Soldanu I look forward to more such trips in the future and I can school: an excellent enactment of the famous Romanian only hope that the children at the Soldanu school will play “Domnul Goe”, a beautifully interpreted song, “La thoroughly enjoy reading!

Fereastra Ta” and a moment of dancing; everyone applauded the amazing acts.

Ms Croci then spoke to the children at the Soldanu school, with her characteristic enthusiasm and passion, not only about the importance of reading, but also about how reading a book is an experience in itself: you

By Andrei D. (Year 13)

17

Animal Rescue Open Mic Way back in October the CAS Animal Rescue Team, which consists of seven pupils and myself as coordinator, sat down to plan our project for this academic year. We were searching for an original idea, something that had never been done before, and at the same time, an initiative that would generate significant funds for Bruno Shelter (our most trusted and admired animal rescue related link). It was then that we dreamed up ‘Open Mic Night’. It took us all the way to the very last CAS session of the year to bring that particular project aim to fruition.

member of the CAS club, we are now able to offer Bruno Shelter 1776 RON! Individual and group performances in music, dance and drama delighted the crowd, in a very warm and relaxing atmosphere. The sense of community and genuine merriment were palpable.

After considering a handful of venues, we were very pleased with Casa Jienilor’s willingness to host us free of charge. Having a school community with an abundance of quality talent provided the top-notch entertainment.

The last and probably the most important factor driving us forward was the knowledge that we have the most supportive students, parents, and staff in the entire city.

For this first event of its kind, it could not have gone any better. With a total of 60 tickets sold, plus the profits from a mini-raffle and lavender stall run by a dedicated

On behalf of the Animal Rescue Team, I would like to wholeheartedly thank all those who performed and attended ‘Open Mic Night’. For those who bought tickets but couldn’t make the show, we also sincerely appreciate your contribution to our success. The IBSB community inspires us to continue striving to make a positive impact; we know that we could not have achieved our goals alone.

By Mihnea, Tom, Matei, Yagmur, Victor, Andreea, Irina Ivan, & Ms Katie 18

IBSB ALUMNI 19

Sebastian Mararu

1. Some English people don't speak English the way you do.

Some people make a big deal out of moving from Secondary School to University and some people see it as an opportunity to do what they truly enjoy. Some people don't take that step at all. I believe most of the people I have met and come to know, have resided in the camp that find this step quite a challenging one. I wish I could tell you it's all butterflies and rainbows, but life never is. However, that's not to say that it isn't a step that you should make if you're thinking about it and on the edge. I have heard stories from people that have skated through University doing the bare minimum and have come out happier than ever before, but depending on the course you choose to do and the University you wish to attend, that will depend entirely upon you. This article is basically going to be me talking about my experiences and the do's and don'ts of “Uni Life.”

There was one thing I kept hearing back at school: “around here we chase you up for work, but when you get to University you'll have no one to look after you.” and that's very true. It is the experience that you make it to be.

And I don't mean things like you hear the word “blimey” or “gov”. I mean things like you'll hear “Oi rude boi shat ahp” which are obscure references to hit rap sensation Stormzy, or you'll hear regional specific things like “Ey up mi duck” in the East Midlands, or “Sound” being one of the Mancunian ways of saying okay.

2. “Do you wanna go pub?”

Going to the pub is common place. Feel like eating something and havin' a pint with the lads? Go over to 'Spoons (shorthand for Weatherspoons, a pub/ restaurant chain.) Again the dropping of the “the” is a dialect variation that I've heard quite a few of my friends from around here say it that way.

3. For some reason waking up for 9:00 AM (and sometimes later) feels impossible.

I speak from experience when I say that waking up for classes at relatively reasonable hours seems like the biggest chore in the world, and I'm not the only one that feels this way.

4. “All nighters” are fine… I guess.

The lesson here kids is do your assignments on time and you won't have to stay up all night to finish a piece of coursework that you should have started a month ago.

5. Bants and Cheeky Nando's are a thing… they really I love what I do. I am currently studying Computer are.

Science at the University of Manchester, which is a 'Nuff said pretty demanding course; I won't lie, it can get tough.

All in all, University will be the experience that you make But in light of all the highs and lows I'll try to draft up a it. Enjoy!

Buzzfeed inspired list of “The Top 5 Uni Moments”.

DISCLAMER: These may apply only to the UK.

20

Catrinel Vlad on Yale Perhaps as one would expect, Yale is just like in the movies…or like in Gossip Girl. It’s beautiful, it’s competitive and perhaps most importantly, it gives you an overwhelming sense of freedom. The undergraduate program at Yale is based around a “liberal arts” curriculum, meaning that you can study a number of different subjects before settling on one (or two) to specialize in.

While I always knew that I wanted to study economics, I also knew I didn’t want to study it as a single subject. In my UK applications, I toyed around with the idea of history and economics, only to realize that what this usually meant was economic history, once again something that I was not too crazy about. I also thought about studying fashion, and did a fashion media course during my gap year, but still felt I wanted to spend four years in a more academically rigorous environment. It was only after I first visited Yale, when I was still in Year 11, that I became aware of the liberal arts degree and of the opportunities it offers. Right now I am potentially going to major in Economics and Art History, a combination of two subjects that I adore and that truly represent my academic passions.

I feel that this is what most impressed me at Yale so far: the opportunities you have to express who you are.

College in the United States is not only about academics, but also about your talents and interests outside the classroom. But now let’s get to the more practical descriptions: what is life at Yale like? Before you arrive you are sorted into a residential college, but unlike at Oxbridge, this is completely random and no college has a specific reputation (well apart from mine, Davenport, which is known for being particularly “fratty”…more on that later). You don’t live in your college until the second year so you can still make friends from other colleges as a “freshman”.

Typically at Yale, students take 4 or 5 classes during a semester, and picking these is 100% your decision. In fact, we have this two-week “shopping period” at the beginning of each semester where you can try out more classes before settling on which ones you want to take.

Last semester I did History, Philosophy, Politics and Literature, all focused on Ancient Greece and Rome. This semester I’m doing History of Fashion, “Beauty, Fashion and Ethics”, Math, Economics and French – basically something completely different to what I did before.

And before you start to question the legitimacy of a Yale degree, I assure you that all classes are at a very advanced level, especially as most of then are seminars rather than lectures. While there is a lot of work, there is also a lot of fun – Americans really do try to make

college as much as possible like in the movies. The decision to join a sorority was quite easy for me – I’m trying to live the Elle Woods dream after all. I am also collaborating with Y Fashion House, Finance Officer for the Yale European Undergraduates, Treasurer (and CoFounder) of the Club of Romanian Students, on the social team for the Yale Globalist (the international relations publication), logistics officer for the European Horizons Student Conference (Google it ASAP! It was amazing!) and a member of Smart Woman Securities, a women’s only investment group.

All in all, my experience at Yale has been great. It does get hard, especially because one has to juggle so much at a time, but it is, after all, what I signed up for. While applying to the US (and actually going) was quite a spontaneous decision for me, it was a decision representative of who I am. I think that when making decisions about university applications, this is the first thing you want to keep in mind: where do you belong?

Who do you aspire to be? As romantic as it may sound, you need to truly be happy where you decide to spend the next three or four years of your life.

Although I am literally an ocean away, what I used to say in my “exam workshops” is still applicable: if you have any questions about exams, applications etc. do shoot me a facebook message! I am always glad to help and most of all, I miss you guys!

21

Anonymous Alumni Life After High School is What You Make It

After I finished high school, I knew little about what lifestyle I might lead once I started attending Uni. A mixture of pop-culture references about house parties, initiation rituals, and impossible exams set me up with a feeling of uncertainty. I wasn’t quite sure how the layout of higher education was formally set up. Luckily, one of the first insights I had was that, no first year student has a clear image of what to expect. I was less prepared than others in my class, because I hadn’t visited the actual campus before the academic year started. Choosing my university on the single base of a ranking website might not have been the wisest grounds for determining the next three years of my life. (Little tip: try to get a closeup look at the places that interest you. The Internet is a good start- a weekend trip is better.)

people. It also includes more daunting situations such as finding the appropriate accommodation, while having little to no references for what you’re actually looking for, let alone the negotiating process. When in doubt about most things, a Skype call home is a lifesaveralways.

3. As time goes by, from year to year, you will care about most things less and less. While the exam stress may continue to haunt your final weeks before holidays, your appearance and others’ opinions will appear trivial in comparison to high school as you change the definition of yourself and what matters to you. Feel like you want to try something drastic that might end up wrong? Now is the time to get that Mohawk! (Sidenote: Avoid Tattoos)

After graduating from year 13, I went in head first, ignorant about what responsibilities I had, what my role 4. You get to choose what’s important to you. Most was in making life work. Looking back over the last years universities have lots of societies and clubs offering different activities and experiences. My university had I shall leave you with the following advice: hundreds. Want to learn about intersectional feminism 1. Nobody knows what they’re doing - And that’s after spending the day before in a boxing ring? Up to perfectly fine. Just like the transition to high school, you! Interested in joining a group of people who do cook freshers (i.e. 1st years) are instantly recognisable by outs together exchanging cultural anecdotes? Probably their perpetually confused faces, wondering where to your average Wednesday night! Want to use your head next. Figuring things out is what university life is all weekend and do a charity hitchhike and see how far you about; that includes everything from math formulas to can travel? Classic uni experience. the ingredients of your next drink. Uni life will give you If you ever feel overwhelmed by the situation you find the formative moments you know as life experience. yourself in, remember two important things: It’s 2. Because you’re now swimming in a bigger pond, you perfectly fine to ask for help, nobody expects people to get (and have to) make choices you had not manage their troubles alone and don’t forget that your encountered before. This includes deciding which academic record during your first year doesn’t count people you surround yourself with, making high school towards your final diploma as long as you pass. So use look like a free-trial version of meeting like-minded your first year to explore!

22

Liam Hughes What is it like being in the army? Do you like being there?

Yes. Well, you like and you don’t like things in life, but it tends to be harder in the army because you have to do everything without questioning. I do like it. There are some hard parts, but for the most part, I do like doing it and it’s a great life. Of course it has some hard parts, like when you’re on exercise and you have to get all wet and you don’t sleep, so basically you freeze for five days.

If you had to choose anything to do, what would that be?

Well, I’d either swap over to inventory, because now I’m in communications. I’d join 18 signals (18 UKSF Signal Regiment) or I’d leave the army and go for something that I learnt in the army, so maybe repairing communication systems.

Finally, tell us about the training and how it was when you first got there. Was it intense or overwhelming?

Tell us some things about you, for example family, school etc.?

I was born in Romania. My dad is British and my mum is Romanian. I have three sisters. I left school in September 2014 to join the army. I was rejected twice, but then they finally said they’d take me. It was because I never lived in the UK, so they weren’t sure whether I was allowed. After that, I joined on the 20th of September 2015, and now I’ve just passed the basic training.

What convinced you to join the army?

The life style is basically what attracted me the most.

Also, I decided to start early and I got good qualifications from what I do (communications). I get paid, at a young age, a very good salary. It’s just the life style that attracts you when you do it. Also, it’s different from a regular job.

At the beginning they tell you very simply and directly because they ease you into it. If they slam dunk you at the start it’s going to be hard and many people wouldn’t want to do it. So what they do is, tell you “Alright, when we shout, “line!” everyone goes into the corridor. You start counting 1,2,3,4, and we go down so we know everyone is there. They tell you, “be quiet while you’re marching around,” and everything like that. But it gets more and more intense. You go from doing one night exercise in the field, to two weeks. It gets harder and harder. Overall they ease you into it but, it grows. It is fun though. I mean, where I train, we do quite a few good things. You do adventure training. I went climbing; people went canoeing, caving, and all sorts of stuff like that. It’s all for free, and that’s the great thing about the army. You get all these things for free. But basically it is really hard, I mean, I’ve had five people from my original platoon drop out, and then another five, so ten people dropped out during training. So, it definitely gets hard at times; you just have to switch off and do it.

By Ioana B. (Year 9) and Kyriaki M. (Year 9)

23

Ken Sequeira Moving from one school to another has been hard for me, but it has also been a fun journey. The new school I am going to is Northrop Frye School. It is a large school with Grades K-8. Although I miss IBSB, I had a smooth transition period, here in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Although, I am missing Table Tennis and Cricket at IBSB, I am in the school’s volleyball team and so far, I’m enjoying the sport. Right now, I am involved in raising funds for the end of year school trip to Quebec and Montreal.

I am very excited for my future in this new place, but simultaneously missing my friends at IBSB. A big hello to all in Year 10 and my best wishes for you.

24

Steve Sequeira It’s hard to explain how happy I am moving to Moncton, Canada. This place has much to offer for me and my family. I was well accepted by my folks at school & making friends has been easy.

Life here is pretty straight forward. Moncton is a small city, and things get done in minutes. There are so many opportunities here. People are so friendly and nice to talk too. It is said that Canada is one of the safest places in the world, but the people here say that from all the cities in Canada, Moncton is the safest and indeed it is. You barely see any ambulances or police cars patrolling the city.

As a matter of fact, Moncton is divided into three sub-divisions: Riverview, Dieppe and Moncton, that’s where we live. Most French people live in Dieppe, the English in Riverview, but citizens don’t mind living anywhere because the environment is safe.

We cannot choose the school we want to go to; the district allocates them for us depending on where we live. And thus, I go to Harrison Trimble High School.

The school’s education has so much to deliver. There are courses such as cooking, law, reading tutor, environmental science, and many more, that I haven’t discovered yet. The spirit in the school is amazing; there are so many chants for the school to cheer the guys for their American football games, cheerleaders with all their fancy routines, and musicians building the spirit.

But the education over here is not as advanced as what you would expect from other foreign countries. The passing rate is 60% and the teachers give us plenty of tips and tricks, ensuring that each student leaves the school with an above average mark.

English and Modern History are subjects that all students should take. But apart from that you learn a lot of skills and it could be very handy in life.

I have many friends at school. I am in a voice class and have taken part in concerts for the school and assembly. The school recommends all students do extracurricular activities. I have bagged a major role in the school play. I take part in a committee called No Elf Left Behind, where students help raise money for less fortunate students to have a better Christmas and I am almost done with my DofE.

25

WHITE BOARD 26

Head of Primary Welcome to the Primary School section of the Spring TIV. I wish to start by thanking all the contributors and especially the Primary TIV editor, Ms Andreea Rus, for the combined endeavour creating and editing our section. As you can see, it is largely a celebration of what we do every week in the Primary School, focused on giving our pupils a wide and rich experience in and out of the classroom.

Since the last edition of TIV we have been busier than a one-eyed cat watching two mouse holes. Naturally the focus, as always, has been on learning, but we also pride ourselves on the diversity of experiences we present to our pupils. To this end, we have created opportunities for our children to enjoy themselves on stage at Elisabeta Theatre for the KS1 Winter Show; proceeded by our EY children singing Christmas songs. We also took 20 children from Y2 to Y6 to read Robbie Burns’ famous poem ‘To a mouse…’ at Light into Europe’s Burns Supper; a prestigious event where the children recited the poem beautifully along with HM British Ambassador, Mr Paul Brummel. We performed so well that we have been invited back to perform some Shakespeare sonnets at their next big even; the St George’s Supper on 23rd April (the Bard’s birthday). Maybe we will see some of you there. Add to this the Kangaroo competitions, the World Book Day events, when we were visited by Stan Cullimore, a famous author and singer, Ms Carmen Tiderle, one of our parents and our own Claudia Marinescu, to share their own stories and poems with us, or ski trips and other educational visits and you will have a flavour of the enrichment we bring to our children’s experiences on a weekly basis.

followed closely by Hannukah, where children made huge dreidels, and then we made preseppios before Christmas inviting parents in to see them. After Christmas we celebrated Chinese New Year and most recently Martisor, adding a real international flavour to life at IBSB. Thank you to all those parents who were involved in making these events so successful.

In class, I have continued to be impressed with the many models and projects I have seen coming into school at the beginning of each term, most notably the Roman Soldier shields and volcanoes. It is important to note that whilst it is fun to make these projects at home together, the experience they have presenting their work to their colleagues is vital to help develop their 4P skills: prepare; practice, perform and present.

The PTF have also been very proactive in helping us to celebrate diversity in a fun and engaging way. Starting with Diwali when children made Rangoli patterns, Many of these events have been captured on our Facebook page, on the website, and on Twitter. We publish the amazing exploits of our children every day on social media, so the world can see how brilliant they are. Please follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @IBSBprimary and you will get up to the minute updates on the brilliance that we see every day and an opportunity to interact with the daily life in the Primary School at IBSB. We have many more events planned so stay tuned…

Mr Alan Cornish Head of Primary

27

Early Years

This term the EYFS children had a lot of fun learning about Animals and Dinosaurs. They learned to differentiate between animals from different environments. Children role-played with jungle animals, forest animals and polar animals. We read books, such as ’We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’, ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ or ’Tinga Tinga’. The children also tried their hand at designing monkeys, polar bears and hedgehogs.

28

They ended the half term by learning about Dinosaurs and Dragons, in past times. They were encouraged to tell the difference between the different types of dinosaurs, meat, or plant eaters. Children were challenged to think critically and make links, e.g. why dinosaurs disappeared. They also learned about and investigated fossils.

Year 1 Castles, Knights and Dragons This term the Year 1 children have been studying ‘Castles, Knights and Dragons’. We read books, such as ‘How to Be a Knight’ and ‘Castles’, and then talked about castles, before the children finally had fun labelling one.

The children also tried their hand at designing shields and drawing the portrait of William the Conqueror.

The highlight of the day was participating in a ‘Castle Ball’ when they came to school dressed up as princesses and knights. All together we tried performing medieval dances while listening to medieval music and we enjoyed it!

29

Year 2

As part of their topic, ‘Famous for more than 5 minutes’, Year 2 have learnt about explorers. One day they were lucky enough to have a visit from an intrepid explorer. He came to talk to the classes about an expedition he had been on. The explorer talked to the children about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro the highest mountain in Africa!

The children learnt about how he prepared for the adventure, what he packed to survive the climb, and how he felt throughout the journey. They enjoyed seeing photographs, were very enthusiastic when asking questions, and learnt that even when the climb was difficult he didn't give up. The children were especially excited because this explorer was our very own Mr Peet! It made them realise than they can be explorers too and can't wait to go on adventures of their own!

30

Year 3B In Year 3 we’ve been looking at volcanoes and earthquakes during the last term. The children learned that hot magma floats under the crust of the Earth and sometimes it rises causing a volcano to erupt.

We have also learned about another natural phenomenon called earthquakes.

During one of our lessons we tried to build a structure out of toothpicks and delicious marshmallows that we tested for stability during a possible earthquake. We wanted to see what makes a structure stable and how buildings survive earthquakes. Do you know? We found out that shorter buildings, as well as those with a larger base, are the most stable ones during an earthquake.

31

Year 3D

Year 3D have been studying volcanoes and earthquakes as the theme for this term. Following this topic, we took a closer look at how our planet Earth is structured. The students cut hardboiled eggs and looked closer at all the layers. Did you know the Earth and the egg are not so different after all? The shell is protecting the egg just like the crust is protecting the Earth. And the yolk has the same position as the core of the Earth. We were surprised as well!

32

Year 4

The challenges of Year 4 are endless, from religions around the world to science, from Maths to art. The children work hard! They learn from each other and teach each other, while having fun and creating fantastic pieces. Amongst everything that is in the Maths curriculum, the children have learnt how to measure and record carefully and how to work in groups to achieve the best possible result. In art, they started with simple shapes in order to create colourful pieces inspired by Kandinsky. As pictures speak more than words, look at the pictures. Amazing children! Check out more pictures on the next page!

33

‌.continued

34

Year 5 In Year 5 we have been busy with experiments and investigating Science. We have layered colourful liquids with different densities, we have floated metal paper clips on water, we have pushed pins into balloons without bursting them, we have pumped water uphill against gravity, and we have watched pendulums do very strange things.

We’ve been learning why huge and heavy aeroplanes can take off and fly, why a candle can suck an egg into a bottle, how sound travels through the air, and how your eyes don’t always see what’s in front of them.

35

Year 6 Wildly Dancing Year 6 Students‌

As part of our Science Fiction topic, we have been looking at how different artists depict moving figures.

We looked at the work of Emil Nolde, specifically Wildly Dancing Children (1909). After discussing the way in which the artist alters the length and direction of brushstrokes to create a blurred, energetic effect, the students tried to recreate the scene in our playground and then reproduce the same techniques. The body position and movement of the hair were also captured in these excellent pieces of work.

36

Ski Trip In the week before half-term holidays, students from Years 2 to 6, along with Mr. Cornish, Ms. Magda, Ms. Cornelia and Ms. Barbe, went to Poiana Brasov for a week of skiing. Every day the children went skiing or snowboarding in the morning and the afternoon. We had four groups of skiers/snowboarders, and by the end of the week, most of the groups went to the top of the mountain! The beautiful, warm temperatures made for difficult snow conditions, but the children had great attitudes and improved greatly throughout the week.

On Wednesday evening we had fresh snowfall, so Thursday skiing was great! In the evenings, the children had fun swimming, having a movie night, and presenting a talent show at the end of the week. At week’s end everyone was tired but happy from a great week skiing!

37

SCHOOL EVENTS 38

Burns Supper dinner, we were entertained with marvellous poems and performances.

During short breaks from the main programme, people came round with raffle tickets and the promise of spectacular prizes, such as famous paintings, traditional bowls and clothing, with all the money going to the “Guard Dog Programme”, an ambitious project started by the founder of 'Light Into Europe', to train dogs to aid the sensory impaired people of Romania.

After the dinner, came the toasts: “Immortal memory” to honour the founder of The Burns Supper, “Address to “Light into Europe” is a British charity whose sole the Lassies”, to thank the women who’d traditionally mission is to aid Romanian sensory impaired children prepare the meal and “Reply from the Lassies”, to thank and young adults in developing and achieving their full the men for their praise. potential in order to lead independent lives. Ambition is The night progressed with traditional Scottish dances not lacking, but with high goals come high expenses and where all guests were invited to participate, and happily money, as a popular saying goes, doesn’t grow on trees. did so. Lots of laughter and joy echoed off the walls of An ingenious way 'Light into Europe' have come up with, in order to raise the necessary funds, is to have special events, and one such event is The ‘Burns Supper'.

The origins of Burns Supper come from deep within the heart of Scotland, and it was first designed to celebrate the life and poetry of the renowned poet Robert Burns.

This year’s Burns Supper was held on the 30th of January at the grandiose Intercontinental Hotel, and I, alongside some of my colleagues in the 6th Form, were part of the entertainment.

It being a Scottish traditional celebration, the music, food and dances were all authentically Scottish.

Therefore, to urge all guests to dance, have a good time and be generous towards the cause, we were asked to perform a dance which goes by the name of The Foursome Reel.

Just as the name suggests, it is executed in 4 couples, who have to twirl, smile, and look like they have never done anything easier in their entire life. Suffice to say, we were able to do two of those three seemingly simple tasks! We smiled, we twirled, but we looked too determined to succeed for it to be the easiest thing we’d done in our lives. Nevertheless, we made it to the end with only minor setbacks; a feat which was celebration worthy for everyone.

the beautiful ballroom.

Throughout this cheer and happiness, the silent auction took place, with guests bidding on valuable purchases with smiles on their faces and contented hearts as they were aware everything was for a good cause.

We all had a lot of fun, and it was a memorable experience that I am looking forward to repeating next year, in the hope of helping 'Light Into Europe' come closer and closer to achieving their bold aims.

By Catrinel C. (Year 12)

After our demonstration, we moved on to the actual dinner which consisted of delicious traditional Scottish food such as the infamous haggis. Throughout the 39

Carol Service

On the 18th of December, the annual Carol Service was held in the Anglican Church in order to wish all parents, students, and teachers a wonderful New Year. The event involved a few volunteers reading out sections of the Bible, and a choir made up of students and teachers who gave us the warm feeling by singing classic Christmas songs. We were also accompanied by Chaplain Reverend David Houghton, who led the prayers and wished us all the best.

traditional British carols with the purpose of enhancing the seasonal atmosphere, but above all, spreading the wonders of Christmas.

Our gratitude should go to teachers and students, and to all those who volunteered and made this event possible; without them, we would not have remembered this year as distinctly as we did.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – St. John The Carol Service has long been a tradition here at IBSB. It marks the season, and reunites all children and parents alike. I remember my first experience, and how special that moment is – you get the best of all the IBSB community: young or old, parents or teachers it doesn’t make a difference in celebrating the Christmas Spirit.

After all, these kinds of events define the IBSB community: we are all different, yet united through such traditions; they mark the magical transition from the past to the future.

The event started with Mr Peet’s welcome speech, along with the Head Girl & Head Boy introduction. Chaplain Houghton then shared a welcome prayer; there were readings and carols ranging from Romanian carols to old,

40

We all left the Carol service with this in mind, which reminded us that the true spirit of Christmas is the spirit of giving. It is so easy to get caught up in Christmas represented by today's culture, and we forget to stop and celebrate Christmas as a time for giving and receiving, a time to remember others less fortunate than ourselves, a time for families to come together, a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. Having a generous heart has very little to do with the amount of money we and our parents possess or how much we give to church and charities. An essential part of humanity is a generous spirit, and God encourages us to set these expectations in our own lives.

By Maximilian M. (Year 8S)

Dragons Den Marius Ghenea (Serial Entrepreneur), as well as teenage entrepreneur – Vladimir Stanoi.

The judges will be taking into account aspects such as: the viability of the business idea; the creativity and “unique factor” of the business idea; and the presentation itself which will play a big role in the final decision of the judges. Working prototypes will greatly affect their decision, as they will demonstrate that the idea is viable enough and is not overly difficult to produce. The market research conducted by the teams should also be added to their presentations in order to increase their final score. A multitude of different prizes will be given out at the end, for the best team in The IBSB annual ‘Dragons’ Den’ business studies project different categories. is an opportunity for IGCSE business students to get creative and let their ideas roam free. It is a welcome departure from every day school life, and an enjoyable experience for the students involved.

The idea is simple; students are arranged into different groups and allowed to come up with the business idea of their dreams. The students must research their topic, think of an idea, and prepare a presentation.

As for now, there is not a lot of information available about the individual teams and their projects for this year, as these projects have recently begun and the students require a fair amount of time to come up with their ideas.

This project allows the students to grasp the theory from a much more practical side of things. For example; the teams will actually have to conduct their own market research, whether it is primary or secondary. The teams will also have to come up with a fairly detailed business plan which has to include aspects such as: the costs and investments required for startup and growth of the business; the short-term and long-term profits of the business; any competition which may already exist out on the market or which may develop over time; and the effect this competition will have on their business.

The presentations will be judged at the beginning of March by a panel of judges. The list of judges includes: Ms Blessy Savu (Business Studies and Economics Teacher), Mr Ciprian Tiplea (Deputy Head of School), Mr.

Last year’s Dragons’ Den was full to the brim with exciting, innovative ideas. Ranging from outside-the-box clothing companies, to GPS-trackable stickers, to a portable water purification device. There was also a smartphone app which would allow the user to track public transport vehicles in real time, a toy company whose plan was to sell magnetically levitating toy trains and educational science equipment. Overall, no stops were pulled when it came to the imagination of the students involved, and all the projects were extremely well thought out and planned, with a ton of information included. We all hope that this year will be much the same, if not even more creative and exciting, with wonderful new ideas that will both motivate the business studies students, develop team work, and bring to the table some revolutionary and new ideas.

By Matei S. (Year 12)

41

Performance Morning

IBSB celebrated Key Stage Three talent and creativity at this years Performance Morning, held at Casa Jienilor.

Everyone was served hot chocolate and delicious snacks, and almost everyone contributed by performing

skits and delivering speeches. Everybody was enjoying watching each other’s performances, and with wide smiles on their faces, it was clear everyone was having a great time. This was a great opportunity for kids to comfortably show-off their talents, and the teachers were more than delighted by our achievments.

whatever their heart’s desired. This was a great way of escaping from the outside cold, and making a regular Tuesday more enjoyable. The performances ranged from musical acts, choreographed dances, poetry readings, 42

By Stephanie L. (Year) and Milena V. (Year)

MUN Secretary General

This experience was so surreal to me and I feel like it all went by in the blink of an eye. The thought of our own MUN was just a mere suggestion in early March of last year. As Catrinel and I persisted with complete devotion to our idea, it became more real as the word COBIS became associated with the MUN we had planned. It’s funny to think that I had no idea what a great amount of effort was needed for a four day conference – it’s incredible to know how many people are involved in an event of this scale, and I hope my message and Ms Blessy highlights this.

Catrinel, Ms Blessy and I had regular Skype sessions with our Chairs: Hannah, Jack, Jimena, Angela, Seden, and Cezara, to run through the procedures, the flow of debate, the motions available to our delegates, and generally getting to know one another so everything would go swimmingly when the time of the conference came. It all became so real as we met the faces behind the screens and all got to interact with one another, especially as we sat together at the Diplomatic Dinner. I can safely say that my co-chair, Hannah, was one of the most sarcastic and hilarious people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and I’m grateful that I had the I am honoured to have been the Secretary General, as opportunity to meet her. well as one of the Security Council Chairs, for the first ever edition of the COBISMUN – I met an incredible It’s incredible to think how little time it takes for people number of young and bright students with mind- to get close to each other, the social events we had boggling tactical skills in solving vital current issues, such created for our delegates allowed them to taste as the subjects of ISIS or North Korea’s Nuclear Romanian culture with our visit to ‘Caru’ cu Bere’, whilst programme, which were topics in my heated committee; allowing everyone to get to know each other by mixing probably the most interesting of all being the delegates from the committees together in the ‘Murder Ambassador of North Korea (one of our Chairs) coming Mystery Party’ and dance the night away as the case was to speak upon the crisis especially made by Hannah and solved. The gossip box within every committee was an I. These conferences are vital to the structuring of young incredible hit as delegates were permitted to speak their minds in the handling of tomorrow’s future, along with mind without anyone knowing who it was, and the final making new friends and connections from all over the titles awarded in each committee, such as the “most world – this was successfully achieved as many fruitful likely to become Dictator”, which was very memorably debates resulted in passed resolutions, whilst I won in my committee by Russia personally know that many delegates created long-term I can’t possibly sum up the feelings that I had friendships, demonstrated by the many social media throughout this conference because I am still working on groups causing most people’s phones to block. grasping it all myself, however, all I can say is that I Having Chairs from different schools made the process cannot wait to attend the COBISMUN of 2017. of the preparation for the programme quite interesting;

By Maria I. (Year 12) 43

COBIS MUN event were to come crashing down – I knew he was a phone call away and would help me fix it! No accolades were needed for this commitment, it was simply his dedication to MUN. Marius Paun, who handled videography pre, during and post event, constantly In the Closing Ceremony, Mr Peet pointed out how we reminded us that we were doing an excellent job – while had managed to put together a 5-star event at a 5-star we stood grateful for his professionalism that needed no venue. This was only true because there was unwavering guidelines. dedication from many people, both within and without Then there were the Chairs, both insiders and outsiders, our school. from COBIS schools and from the local MUN circuit: Some of us worked tirelessly, not keeping track of hours eight leaders, each maintaining structure while bringing spent or sleep missed for months in the build-up to the panache to their committees. Pre-event, these event; all making it clear that this school has a staff that wonderful Chairs ploughed through emails, research, doesn’t just work for the pay-check! Ms Jane heated discussions, meetings and Skype conversations Broadhurst, Ms Iulia Boboc and Ms Gabi Bujor tackled to set the framework of our MUN. During the event, visas, transport, hotel and rooming arrangements for the they made their committees interesting and engaging 150; people, many with unique issues to be sorted and academically, but also balanced things out with fun dealt with. Sometimes this meant putting up with some activities, adding flavour to the sessions. They rose to of the strangest situations; but Ms Broadhurst, with her the challenge of upholding decorum with finesse, trademark calm and consistency, took on the onslaught guiding first-timers, tackling challenges, and bringing in of paper and leg work. Mr Jennings, trained our own the creative elements. Their excellence was admired by delegate team with Maria (Year 12) and Catrinel (Year many.

12) giving the team insights from their previous experience and from our own preparations for this As for me, I would rather not talk about what I did, but event. Our delegates, all of whom were first-time what I received. While there were the forever believers MUNers did exceptionally well due to the guidance and who worked literally through sickness and health, like preparation. Mr Mark Storey focussed on social media Maria, Catrinel and Ms Broadhurst, there were others in the run-up to the event and pulled together social who kicked in and stepped up their game as soon as the events, changing plans when needed (like when the event became a reality: Kevin, Yagmur and Andreea – weather interfered with a beautiful idea of treasure who were ready to perhaps even work round the clock, hunting through the city), working with Adriana (Year if needed! There were moments when many of us found 12), Andreea (Year 13) and Yagmur (Year 13) to make ourselves losing faith, only to be dragged back on track sure it all worked out excellently. A heartfelt thank you by someone else. Ms Aura Bogdan and Mr Kendall Peet to Ms Lea Cohen who managed the marketing. She may have lost some sleep over the MUN, worrying about helped us develop a high-end profile for our high-end some of the hurdles that stood in our way, or at times event by managing our webpage, content design, and worrying about some of the seemingly outlandish ideas liaising with marketing agencies, not to mention that she we came up with – but their support and show of faith handled with precision even the run-of-the-mill tasks was remarkable! Then there were those who didn’t such as sorting out gift bags, welcome bags, conference hesitate to show their appreciation, both privately and folders and contents, badges and more – in each case, publically: this included teachers from the different making sure that each participant received his/her schools, our own staff and students who had taken on different roles. The tireless dedication, sublime faith personalised products. and enthusiastic appreciation (besides the nice bottle There were more than a handful of “outsiders” who of Moët Champagne) made it all worth it for me! might as well be honorary IBSB members, for the level of dedication they showed to our school’s MUN. There was Heartily saluting the many silent and the few vocal Tobi Ibitoye, who people saw singing at one of the MUN heroes who pulled together this impressive feat, dinners, and helping out with the Approval Panel, but

By Ms Blessy Savu behind the scenes, he was my rock! If any aspect of the MUN Coordinator

From where I stood, I saw three remarkable things come together to make our inaugural COBIS MUN something to remember: tireless dedication, sublime faith and enthusiastic appreciation.

44

45

SPORTS 46

Athletes within our school Q: Do you have any advice for new athletes?

-RF: Yes, stay focused, don't give up, and have fun. Keep in mind that team sports require you to play as a closely united group, remember, there is no "I" in team!

Like Radu, we have many other students who enjoy keeping physically active. Cristina G. from year 12 never says no when it comes to team play. She likes just about any performance sport and I have seen her play; she is an inspiration to many to commence a new lifestyle!

Cristina started swimming at the age of three, and by the age of five she started going to national competitions where she won many titles. In her old school she played in her basketball team, volleyball team, and netball team, as well as athletics; with her help, her school team managed to win many medals and trophies. In her free time Cristina cycles, does horse riding, and plays tennis. In the future, she would like to IBSB is known for its amazing athletes and team spirit. try snowboarding and football. She is an incredible We encourage everyone to take part in our team sports motivation to others! Cristina is keen in encouraging for physical development and team building. Our school more people to join our school teams and compete. has won over 20 trophies over the past few years with the help of our many talented competitors. Speaking of So how about you!? Will you play football, handball, gifted students, I managed to obtain an interview with swim, or any other exiting sport? Mr Ciprian can't wait Radu Florea, a swimmer, football player and athletics to hear from you! fanatic. Radu is the House Captain of Transylvania, and

By Adriana B. (Year 12) impressively also the captain of our football team.

Q: How do you stay motivated?

-RF: I get results and I love to see results, not just from me but from the rest of my team mates. Practicing sport makes me forget about all my worries and the burdening stress of school. I feel free and completely in the moment.

Q: How many sports do you practice?

-RF: Football and swimming have proven to be my favourite so far, however, I'm open to trying any other sport. I enjoy running and playing volley in the summer; the winter is saved for skiing!

47

Athletic Grand Prix

Results for IBSB in Athletic Grand Prix 2016 Stanciu F.

gold 200 m (individual)

Alina B.

silver 200 m/gold 600 m (individual)/gold relay 4 X 200 m

Alexia V.

gold 60 m/silver 200 m (individual)/gold relay 4 X 200 m

Andreea A.

silver 600 m (individual)

Hyeonsoo S.

bronze 60 m (individual)

Silver : 7

Anisia V.

gold 60 m/200 m (individual)/gold relay 4 X 200 m

Bronze : 3

Jianong X.

silver 60 m/bronze 200 m (individual)/gold 4 X 200 m

Victor C.

silver 60 m/silver 200 m (individual)/gold 4 X 200 m

Maria V.

gold 60 m/silver 200 m (individual)

Cristina G.

bronze 60 m (individual)

Giovani B .

gold 4 X 200 m

Radu F.

gold 4 X 200 m

Albert M.

gold 4 X 200 m

We won 1st Place (with Cup) in the Girls Competition, congratulations to all students who participated, it was a great experience.

Total

: 18 medals

Gold

: 8 (6 individual/ 2 relay races)

By Mr Ciprian Iacob Physical Education Teacher 48

Student Results

49

Paul G. Interview Paul Georgescu’s latest goal is to cross the English How will you prepare?

Channel. If he accomplishes it, he will be the first By doing a lot of swimming, running, and biking Romanian person to have crossed it without a full body (endurance sports). swimsuit.

For a swim to be officially recognised, the swimmer must enter the sea from the shore of departure and swim across the English Channel. Swimmers may finish on dry land or to touch the steep cliffs of the opposite coast with no sea water beyond. Mr Georgescu will achieve this wearing a standard swim costume, from a material not offering Thermal Protection or Buoyancy and is sleeveless and legless.

How long will the training last for? How often do you train?

My training sessions last almost 2 hours and I train every day; Monday- Saturday swimming and Sunday running or biking.

Tell me about the journey.

Are you training yourself or do you have a trainer?

The channel distance is approximately 21 miles .I will try to cross it in under 8 hours, swimming in 16 degrees ocean temperatures without a wetsuit. The shortest distance is 21 miles (32 kilometres) but on either side of Cap Gris Nez, the French Coastline drops away, so, if I do not reach land at the Cap, I have further to go to make landfall. I will swim across the channel for 21 miles (or more) BUT the current can move me many miles from side to side as the Tide ebbs and flows. Swims usually start at or near Shakespeare's Cliff or Samphire Hoe (in between Folkestone and Dover), and aim to finish at or near Cap Gris Nez (between Boulogne and Calais).

At the beginning I trained by myself, but now I have a trainer.

Do you have any fears or concerns?

My biggest concern is the ocean’s very cold water.

Hypothermia is a very serious issue, and a common cause for swimmers to stop short of their goal. ‘

Have you done anything similar to this before?

Just the open water swimming races. The longest Where did you get the idea from? Who/what inspired distance was 7 km. you?

Everything started with a phone conversation with a good friend of mine regarding wetsuits. I had just bought it (the wetsuit) and I didn’t like it during my swim . I said to my friend that I would not wear it anymore, no matter what. Hearing this, my friend said: why don’t you cross the English Channel without a wetsuit because you will be the first Romanian to do this. I told him that as far as I knew, Andrei Rosu was the first swimmer, but he said that his performance was not recognized because he wore a wetsuit.

How will you prepare right before it? Any food or equipment?

Equipment? I don’t need much. Just the 'Standard' Swim Costume, cap and goggles. Regarding feeding, I have to make a plan together with my trainer.

Are you going to cross the English channel alone ?

Yes. I will only be accompanied by an official boat.

Regarding the rules, a support swimmer is allowed to When do you plan on doing it? swim next to me sometimes, to increase my stroke rate If the weather is good I will swim on the 28th of July. I and for cheering. In my case, my support swimmer will want to demonstrate that even a Romanian can do it be Mr Peet! and to inspire my students.

When do you plan on starting to train?

I already started in October,2015.

50

By Maria M. (Year 13)

100 DAYS & COUNTING The entire IBSB Community is behind you

51

STUDENT REVIEWS 52

Life in the 6th Form

Transitioning from GCSE to AS can be overwhelming for students, which is why for the past two years, the move has been made easier by placing 6th Form students (Year 12 and 13) in a different building: CODECS. Although the building is separated from the main school, similar facilities are provided for the hardworking students.

Instead of overcrowding, there are two study rooms, various classrooms, an ICT room and even an elevator!

just transitioned earlier this year, they must have more to say. Year 12 student, Bai Lan offered her thoughts, as well: “There is definitely more independence, which may help me get used to university life. It’s great preparation.”

We are like a big family, even having lunch together around a table. Both year groups have welcomed each other into CODECS and into each other’s lives, as we all th An Upper 6 Form student, who is enjoying her second managed to become friends. year in CODECS, Andreea Serban, has stated: As Year 13 move towards graduating, the upcoming “It’s the proper high school experience I’ve always replacements are prepared to make the new Year 12 dreamed of.” students feel just as welcome.

And this coming from the girl who enjoyed the previous school tremendously!

By Yagmur O. (Year 13) During lunch time, we are allowed to leave the premises in order to get a bite to eat, which gives us the opportunity to be more independent, while still respecting school rules.

The Head Boy, beloved Andrei Dogaru said: “I didn’t realise studying could be so much fun!”

On the other hand, since Lower 6th Form students have

53

MFL Cuisine—An Experience

On a frosty day in January most of the Year 9 students atmosphere of a Spanish restaurant. who study various and varied modern foreign It is a well-known fact that the Mediterranean culture languages , Spanish, French, and German, went on a trip promotes going out frequently and having a meal or just ‘tapas’(starters) with family or friends. The food is based also on the Mediterranean diet, a mixture of variety and delicacy. The main ingredients are olive oil -used in impressive amounts- vegetables, seafood & fish, cheese and meat in balanced proportions, and fruits like oranges, peaches, grapes, or pomegranate .

The students were all able to taste the famous ‘paella valenciana’ cooked with rice, vegetables, and chicken, or the typical ‘sangria’, a flavourful mixture of exotic fruit.

It was an opportunity to be with colleagues and learn about the different gastronomic styles, link it to the to the Traditional Spanish Restaurant Alioli in Bucharest studies in class and have some fun. to discover and enjoy the Iberian specialties of Spanish cuisine. It was a genuine experience for all of us, as the place has successfully tried to recreate the typical

54

Growth Mind-set Mind-set is a simple idea worked on by a Stanford University Psychologist Carol Dweck on achievement and success—a simple idea that makes all the difference.

In a fixed mind-set, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talents, are fixed traits. They document or collect their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also think that talent alone creates success—without effort.

In a growth mind-set, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work— their initial qualities and talents are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.

Teaching a growth mind-set creates motivation and productivity in the worlds of business, education, and sports; it enhances relationships. When you read Mindset, you’ll see how.

IQ Test It is believed by many that the IQ test was designed to summarize children’s unchangeable intelligence, but in fact, many argue that it was designed to test and identify children who were not profiting from education.

From the results changes were made to the educational programmes to put students back on track. Without denying individual differences in children’s intellects, it was believed that education and practice could bring basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your about fundamental changes in intelligence. efforts. Although people may differ in every which way—in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or Help, Support, Practice, and Training temperaments – everyone can change and grow through With practice, training, and above all, method, we can application and experience. increase attention, memory, judgment, and literally become more intelligent than we were before. In fact, Some things to consider in Growth Mind-set: an eminent neuroscientist stated that not only do genes and environment cooperate as we develop, but genes Why waste time proving over and over how great you actually require the input from the environment to work are, when you could be getting better?

Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? properly.

Why look for friends or partners who will just shore up At the same time, scientists are learning that people your self-esteem instead of ones who will also challenge have more capacity for life-long learning and brain you to grow? development than they ever thought. Of course, each And why seek out the tried and true, instead of person has a unique genetic make-up and they start life experiences that will stretch you? with different temperaments and different aptitudes, The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, but it is clear that experience, training, and personal even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the effort take them the rest of the way. hallmark of the growth mind-set. This is the mind-set Robert Sternberg, the present-day guru of intelligence that allows people to thrive during some of the most writes that the major factor in whether people achieve challenging times in their lives and will inevitably help expertise “is not some fixed prior ability, but purposeful students achieve in examinations, sport, and relationships. engagement”.

By Mr Robert Hewett This growth mind-set is based on the belief that your Head of Secondary School 55

Our Greek Christmas Christmas time is a time for family, which for us means a trip down to the beautiful island of Zakynthos, Greece (Zante in Venetian), my home for three years before moving to Bucharest and home to my sister and her family.

Zakynthos is also known as “The Flower of the East� and is set on the western side of Greece, forming part of the Ionian Archipelago along with Kefalonia, Lefkada, Corfu, Ithaki, Kythira and Paxi islands.

Zakynthos is a very green island, which is unusual in Greece. The crystal clear blue water and the underwater caves make it ideal for swimming, snorkeling and diving.

It can get very busy in the summer months, particularly in August when Italians and Greeks take their annual holiday and head to the islands. Stay off the beaten track and aim for the north around Skinari where it is quieter or the nature reserves in the southern tips Keri or Vasilikos which are great for spotting Caretta Turtles swimming in their natural habitat.

Greek hospitality at Porto Tavern in Zakynthos town.

Christmas dinner: fresh vegetables from the garden and fish caught that morning by the head of the house, Stathis. Boxing Day BBQ watched over by my brother-inlaw, Nico.

We often drive down from Bucharest, stopping off at different places along the way. This time we stopped off at Aitoliko, a small island accessible by car across the Aitolikon Lagoon. The area is famous for its salt lakes, fish, and in particular 'Bottarga' which is a local delicacy.

Just in time for the harvesting of the olives. The family produce their own EU Registered Organic, Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Delicious drizzled on fresh bread with a few finally chopped tomatoes from the garden! The stones and branches of the olives are used for heating the house in the winter. Nothing wasted here.

Island Tour with Ms Carman and her daughter Jacqui.

56

By Ms Jane Broadhurst Art Teacher

PSHE Prefect View

What is PSHE education?

PSHE stands for Personal, Social, and Health education, and is a course that has been offered as part of the curriculum in UK schools since the year 2000. The subjects that are taught can be divided into three core themes: health and wellbeing, relationships, and living in a wider world. These themes cover topics such as alcohol, smoking and drugs, personal health, bullying, personal finance, and sex education, among many others. PSHE education attempts to bring a learning environment different from what can be found in a typical classroom- instead of targeting facts and figures, it focuses on developing the qualities that students need in order to become successful individuals, family members, and citizens of a society.

lost on many schools that do not make the effort to introduce it to the curriculum, despite numerous studies showing the positive effects it can potentially bring to the lives of students. Luckily, our school has realized the importance of this program, and has managed to successfully integrate it into our weekly schedules!

PSHE in Year 12

So far this year, Year 12 has been taught about how to write a successful personal statement, life at university, personal finances, healthy living, relationships, and much more. Without these sessions, many of us would be consequently disadvantaged and lost in many areas, especially when it comes to applying to university. A 2015 YouGov survey showed that over 90% of parents agree that PSHE education should be taught in all The Case for PSHE schools, and I must say that I wholeheartedly support this statement. This program makes a major Research has shown that vulnerable and disadvantaged contribution to schools and supports personal students have actually benefitted from the knowledge development in a way that can affect students for many acquired through PSHE lessons, especially when it comes years to come. to increasing academic achievement, employability, and future life chances. This is done by helping to halt the vicious cycles of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as

By Dilara Y. (Year 12) teenage pregnancy through knowledge that is taught in these courses. Unfortunately, the value of this course is 57

New Years in Quebec creations on the stone walls that flank a tiny passageway). Mr Angel remarked in a tone of disbelief that we could actually be anywhere in Europe. I generally agree with him to an extent; however, I have always felt Canada within these walls, only a Canada that is less pompous and far more authentic than its overly serious, more profit-driven neighbouring province of Ontario.

Despite its European-like feel, everywhere you look people are embracing winter to its fullest, dressed head to toe to enjoy. Children and parents tossing snowballs and frolicking in the freshly dumped piles of snow; thickly insulated boots, weather-proof pants, heavy hooded jackets, only eyes and noses peering through. I didn’t want Mr Angel to miss the Canadian charm of Quebec, and he is certainly clever enough to accept when resistance is futile.

After dutifully consulting the provincial weather forecasts in both Ontario and Quebec, I was pleasantly surprised to see a clear window conveniently open up for the short duration of our trip. Canadians are no strangers to weather related havoc and hazard. Winter in Canada must be respected; it chooses when and where you travel and it’s only regretful fools who choose to ignore its supremacy. With a meticulous weather check behind us, a 1500 km road trip to Old Quebec became our firm pick for ringing in 2016.

Admittedly, I have had romantic notions of the only walled city in North America since a Year 8 school trip left me enchanted many moons ago. Upon returning for yet another school trip in Year 13, every detail of this delightful spot became ten times more mesmerising; I vowed to live in Old Quebec someday. The truth is I did reside in Quebec City for a short while after earning my Bachelor of Education, but that adventure is for another article.

With my persistence, we ended 2015 with a wild ride, straight down a luge-like slide on a rickety wooden toboggan. The slide is constructed on the boardwalk (Terrase Dufferin) with the Chateau Frontenac at its base. I will let the photograph speak for itself, but I will say that there was a lot of laughter.

I sighed nostalgically as we drove out of the City walls on the first day of 2016, knowing that in a few short weeks the ‘Carnaval de Quebec’, the biggest winter carnival in the world would kick off its festivities. Also the ‘Hotel de Glace’ would open its intricately carved door to visitors, In short, Mr Angel and I spent two days experiencing all and what a grand sight it is! this magnificent location has to offer. The Chateau If we ever decide to move back to my homeland, and Frontenac hotel, perched on a precipice overlooking the you are visiting this splendid province, you may see us St Lawrence River, on its own makes a trip worthwhile; taking in an espresso on a cobblestoned street terrace, now combine that with gooey sweet maple, fondue speaking French in an accent so far removed from what galore, cosy petite ‘boites a chansons’ (little cave-like you learned in Ms Diana’s lessons that you may wonder bars with candles and local musicians, nestled in for a moment if it is even the same language. unsuspecting alleys), Rue de Petit Champlain (the narrowest and most picturesque street in north

By Ms Katie Bickell America) and rue du Tresor (local artists selling their English Teacher

58

59

Student Interview

Q: So, exciting news! What University have you been grades. For example, a career in the Arts doesn’t just accepted to? focus on your academic abilities, but more on extracurricular activities and natural talent. You just have to A: The New York Film Academy based in L.A. see where you belong. It’s ok if you are not the brightest Q: What major? student, as in my opinion there is a place for everybody out there.

A: Acting for film, Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Q: What were your chosen IGCSE subjects?

Q: Did people ever doubt your desire to pursue acting at University?

A: Business, Maths Core, Geography, Co-ordinated Sciences and Spanish as MFL besides the mandatory A: Many people doubted me; my family members, my friends, my dog, but I never let that get the best of me. It subjects. only made me work harder and strive to succeed.

Q: What about your AS and A Levels?

Q: You’re going to be on a new continent, new people, A: Business Studies and English Literature. and different culture. How are you going to cope with that?

Q: Did you enjoy your school life at IBSB? A: It had its ups and downs. I had some behavioural issues throughout my Secondary School life. I can say that when I was younger I had a rebellious personality and so I would often get into arguments with my teachers. I would be found in the principal’s office fairly regularly due to a variety of reasons. However, during my Primary years I had been a victim of bullying which affected me a lot in many ways. I think this was the cause of my restless character that I had developed. As I grew older, I started to mature and become more responsible for my actions and would often think twice before doing something.

A: It’s definitely going to be a major change in my life, which I am excited and ready to embrace and accept, as it will help me grow as a person. I never had a problem with any changes that have happened in my life as I am person that can adapt easily to any situation that I am put through. Therefore, I am confident that only after a few months I will be successfully integrated into my new lifestyle.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A: I see myself working in the field that I love, mainly making comedy and drama genre movies.

Q: Have you put a lot of effort into your chosen Thank you, Adina T. studies?

A: To be honest, I can’t say that I was a straight-A student in life. There are certain career paths which don’t necessarily require students to have excellent

60

By Gekko I. (Year 9)

Book Recommendations Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews An emotional roller-coaster crammed with hilarious dialogue, a narrator that will both infuriate you and give you hope, tear-jerking moments and angering turmoil, this is the story of a boy, his colleague Earl and a dying girl.

Greg Gaines is a film-maker. Well, he wants to be.

He makes mediocre, funny, short movies in his spare time with his friend and co-worker Earl, who is fueled by constant, violent rage. During his last year of high school, Greg’s mother makes him go and visit a colleague who gets leukemia. These three form an unimaginably weird group of friends, as they hit every single bump along the road. A must-read for any high schooler.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird is a story set in 1930s Alabama, during the Great Depression. Scout, aged six, our lovable narrator, is the daughter of a lawyer, Atticus Finch.

When he is asked to represent Tom Robinson, an African American wrongly accused of rape, Atticus accepts.

Scout and her brother Jem have their eyes opened to the segregation and vicious racism of the South as one attack after another is aimed at their calm and wise father. Another mystery is intertwined with the other; the rumours and gossip surrounding their next door neighbour, Boo Radley, a suspected dangerous and homicidal maniac. Will these two paths connect and to what effect?

A timeless, witty, much loved story that has the ring of truth: voted the best novel of the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic tale of unimaginable truth and danger seen through the eyes of a small child.

By Christie V. (Year 8)

61

Book Reviews Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (2013) Genre: Young-adult fiction Eleanor & Park takes place in 1987, in Omaha, Nebraska.

When two completely different teenagers find common ground; their hearts start to thaw. The love story of two misfits: a redhead who is mocked by the other kids and a half-Korean. Eventually they feel the joy of falling in love for the first time. From abuse to bullying, Eleanor & Park reminds us all that everything can be overcome, as long as you have someone to help you through the battle. Through comic books and 80’s mix tapes, an unlikely friendship forms, as the protagonists connect with each other like never before.

Goodreads Rating: 4.1/5 Memorable Line: “You saved my life”, she tried to tell him. “Not forever, not for good. Probably just temporarily. But you saved my life, and now I'm yours.

The me that's me right now is yours. Always.”

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk (1999) Genre: Novel, Transgressive fiction The story moves back and forth, telling the adventures of an unnamed disfigured woman, who is also the narrator. Brandy Alexander is a transgender woman whom the narrator meets in the hospital shortly after her own mysterious gunshot injury. Brandy encourages the protagonist to hide her disfigurement and attempt to live a new life. With Brandy’s advice, the two of them embark on a journey, where they teach each other new things as secrets come to light and questions are answered. Although many critics viewed this novel as an explicit and gruesome work of literature, the words fly off the page in the form of epiphanies.

Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Memorable Line: “Our real discoveries come from chaos.”

62

Book Reviews The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891) Genre: Philosophical Fiction Oscar Wilde received various criticisms of his most notable prose work, The Picture of Dorian Gray, However, there has been extensive praise as well. The idea of the novel is every man’s dream: staying eternally youthful and beautiful, while enjoying the best things life has to offer. There’s a catch though; in order to ensure youth, he must sell his soul. A portrait of Dorian Gray that was painted at the beginning of the novel is the collateral damage: the portrait ages and records every soul-corrupting sin, which will eventually drive Dorian insane. Oscar Wilde stated that three of his main characters were reflections of himself: “Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry is what the world thinks me: Dorian is what I would like to be—in other ages, perhaps.”

Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Memorable Line: “Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.”

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (2012) Genre: Adult Novel/Realistic Fiction This isn’t a conventional novel: Me Before You will make you want to rip your heart out of your chest, because it dawns on you: life doesn’t always go your way. The novel follows the life of a 26-year-old woman, Lou, who recently accepted a job offer to take care of a 35-yearold quadriplegic, Will. These two characters are complete opposites: Will is moody, spiteful and borderline suicidal, whereas Lou is creative, funny and hopeful. The best love stories are the ones that make you want to reread the entire thing. Me Before You does exactly that.

By Yagmur O. (Year 13)

63

Holiday with Parents If names like Hong-Kong, Macao, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore capture your attention, then take few minutes to read my recommendations. All I can say is that I wish everyone could see that part of the world at least once in their lifetime.

HONG-KONG

MACAO If you already are in Hong-Kong it would be a pity not to take a one day trip to Macao, a ferry transfer of one hour. It is a very confusing city; on one hand you might think somehow you took the wrong ferry and you reached Las Vegas, on the other hand, the old town is close to a nice and quiet Portuguese city.

A city far away from home that you see most of the time only in movies. Believe me it is like in the movies. It is a challenging city full of lights; on one hand very modern with skyscrapers of glass and steel that give you the impression of huge sculptures, impressive shopping malls, but on the other hand you can also see and feel the ancient Chinese traditions and the British culture due to the former colonization. Everything in Hong-Kong is about Feng-Shui and how one must not cross the Dragon. Yes, you heard me well; the Dragon in the 21st century. It is amazing how people there still fear the Dragon. Imagine that all tall buildings erected on the hill side of the city have in their structure an empty space, like an opening. The reason for that opening is that people do not want the buildings to be obstacles for the dragon, so that he can be able to have free passage VIETNAM towards the city and protect the city from disasters.

A country of huge contrasts. On one hand in the capital called Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon as it was known before) you can see a lot of development happening; you can see the typically narrow Vietnamese buildings, but also the French colonial buildings, markets, shopping malls and a lot of places to eat. On the other hand, the other cities I have visited, Hanoi and Da Nang, are very shabby and dusty. The huge number of people travelling by bicycle or scooters shocked me and because of the dust all of them had masks on their faces.

My recommendation for Hong-Kong is to eat dim sum (kind of Chinese spring rolls, but more tasty) and a trip by cable car to Victoria Peak for the most breath-taking view.

64

...Still Cool Markets are also incredible; you can find the cheapest products from the greatest "brands”. Chanel is Channel, Louis Vuitton misses a ”t”, Burberry misses a ”r” a.s.o., and there’s all kinds of stuff you can eat on the street if you are the courageous type who closes their eyes and picks something .....

The people are very modest and humble, but also very friendly.

Travelling through Vietnam by bus is exciting the first hour; afterwards it becomes quite boring. The landscape is not very attractive; it is still just a poor communist country under development. But the interesting thing is that I had the chance to see for the first time rice fields, hectares and hectares of rice fields, and the pearl culture. Vietnam is the largest producer of pearls and trust me, your moms will be thrilled.

The long awaited trip was by boat in Hanoi through Halong Bay. If you are a fan of the movie Avatar you will understand my excitement. Of course, you hear the 'blah blah' from your parents about how that Bay is an UNESCO World Heritage seascape, one of a kind limestone pillars and tiny islets coming out of the sea, but please, with your eyes wide shut, scroll the images from the movie and pinch yourself from time to time to realize you are actually there.

THAILAND In Thailand I visited only Bangkok and Ayutthaya.

Ayutthaya is 80 km from Bangkok, famous for the ruins of the old city. Of course you will hear again the 'blah blah' from your parents about how that site is an UNESCO World Heritage. I admit the place has something special: a good vibe; the light was incredible there, so I took lots of pictures!

BANGKOK My recommendation is not to miss the “tuk-tuk”, a funny ride on three wheels through the crowded Bangkok that adults do not understand, a boat trip on the river Chao Phraya for a great view over the temples and luxurious hotels on the shore, the Royal Palace, and the temple Wat Pho, where you can find the largest Buddha in a reclining position. The statute is really impressive at 46m long, 15m high, and covered in gold.

The two most recommended things to do in Bangkok, which I left at the end on purpose, are: a midnight foot massage, the most divine treat after walking a whole day and also very funny. Imagine a massage saloon with eight to ten very comfortable arm chairs side by side where you and your friends get a magical foot massage at the same time. I think everyone who saw the movie 'Hangover' bubbled over with laughter. It was great to be in the roof top bar of the Hotel Lebua where scenes from the movie were filmed and drink a cocktail (nonalcoholic of course) and enjoy the superb view over Bangkok.

SINGAPORE A former British colony, an important trading harbor for Asia, and a very modern and animated city. I found it very interesting that the day is equally long during the entire year due to the proximity to the Equator.

Singapore is the greenest country I have ever seen. Not only parks and trees on the streets, but entire levels of green space integrated into skyscrapers. Due to the fact that they have a very limited amount of land and all constructions have to be very close to one another and vertical, it is important to incorporate as many green spaces as possible. There is a constant concern for the well-being of the population. My recommendation for Singapore is to visit the botanical garden where you can see the most surprising combinations of colors and orchids. You cannot miss the magical swimming pool on the roof of the most famous Hotel Marina Bay with an astonishing view over the city, and last but not least the extraordinary Gardens by the Bay; a magnificent city in a huge tropical garden. Two conservatories hosting the most wonderful plants and flowers one can ever imagine and the famous so called skyways that are actually suspended bridges offering a fantastic view of the Gardens. Of course, when there are such impressive spots in the world, these locations are used in movies, so if you would like to enjoy a little bit of the view in Singapore watch the movie 'Hitman'.

By Tamara M. (Year 8)

65

CREATIVE CORNER 66

Everything you know is a lie

The other day I received a mysterious e-mail and the subject line read ‘Everything you know is a lie.’ I opened the email and read further: ‘Act calm as to not alert anyone, but everyone around you is not who they say they are.’ It said ‘You need to quietly get out of there and meet me where we first met. You know the place. My name is Jonathan.’

At first, all sorts of questions were rushing through my head: ‘Is this a prank? Who is this Jonathan? What is this?’… But then I suddenly had a flashback from when I was a small kid and lived in Wales. I remembered that the day before I moved to London I noticed a small note at the bottom of my closet, saying similar things. I had never seen that note before and, to be honest, I didn’t care. It was an old house, dirty and run down. I always used to find ancient letters that the people who lived there before me had left; perhaps those letters were trash, but I found them interesting and rather cool to come across. I didn’t take that note. I had enough letters already. I still have them, scattered in the bottom of my closet.

But what did this mysterious e-mail mean? How many things does this Jonathan know about me? I decided to have a closer look at the e-mail and try to figure out what he meant. I had never heard of Jonathan, but something told me that I knew the place he was talking about, and I also knew him.

I grabbed my coat and, without really knowing for sure where I was going, I dashed out the door and started running. I suddenly stopped in front of an old nameless café. Once I entered, I asked the man at the bar if there was anyone called Jonathan there. He answered in a low and rather scary voice: ‘I am Jonathan. Surprised? Get used to it.’ He slowly came towards me and I sat down on the closest seat I could find.

me. I am the one who left you that note in the bottom of your closet.’

I interrupted and asked: ‘Who are you?’

He responded: ‘Listen. I am your F A T H E R.’ The words came out of his mouth as if they were separate sentences.

‘This is a lie! I never had a father – he died before I was born.’

‘Before you go any further, let me tell you a short story. Your mother and I used to have a very strong love between us, but our parents decided to separate us before you were born because of our different religions. When you were only two months old, your mother got a terrible heart disease that shortly led to her death. When I found out, I snuck into the house at night, just to see that beautiful soul again. She whispered in my ear and said ‘Take care of him, please.’ Then she took one last breath. I stared into her deep green eyes before she closed them forever.’

I could see a small tear running down my father’s cheek. A tear of love and regret that I will remember forever.

‘You know this place because I always made sure that you noticed this café, without you knowing it.’

I wanted to tell him something, but I couldn’t.

‘I’m sorry, kid. I should have told you earlier, but unfortunately I was only the shadow watching over you.’

I stood up, took my coat and headed for the door, but then I suddenly dropped all my things on the floor and gave my dad a warm hug. A hug I had always dreamt I would give someone I trusted. I had just found that person.

‘So, I see you received my e-mail…’

We continued to talk for a few hours, we had a father-son ‘Yes, I did, but I don’t know who you are. I’ve never heard of moment and I knew that I wanted to have such moments every day, for the rest of my life. Now I realised how life gets you before.’ better. Don’t lose yourself, life is much more than just an ‘Then how did you know how to find me?’ obstacle race. It’s a time to express your feelings and show I couldn’t say; ‘I don’t know’ because that would have your love towards others. This helped me learn three things: to love, to live, and to respect. Learn from my mistakes and sounded silly, so I decided to remain silent. you will notice how your life will change little by little.

‘You don’t remember me, but I remember you. I always will…’

‘What do you mean?’ I asked in a quiet voice.

‘I’ve known you since you were a little child, crying on your mother’s lap. I am always with you, but you just don’t notice

By Anda I. (Year 8)

67

68

69

70

The Door

The second I open that door, I know that I should not have.

The house was filled with horrors — most being the actual inhabitants who were now mostly long gone. He had always warned me not to venture into the attic.

Perhaps I should have listened. Alas, curiosity got the better of me. I needed — no, desperately desired — to know why he spent days on end holed up in this dark room.

The room is so very quiet. Only his breathing could be heard. Then I hear it, the rhythmic clicking of his mechanical parts. The sound is faint but in that still room, it seems unbelievably loud. The clicking approaches. From which direction, I know not.

“What are you doing here?” he whispers from behind me.

I had left the door ajar; he pushes it shut. His hand reaches out and strokes my jaw, the scar below my lower lip and the contours of my lips. I shut my eyes.

“You fool,” he murmurs.

His touch disappears. My eyes open. I hear the quiet patter of his feet against the wooden floor. A match is struck, a candle lit. I swallow thickly and watch him as he makes his way back to me.

“You’re beautiful,” I blurt out.

He laughs, the sound light and tinkling amidst the darkness of the room. I can’t help it, I just keep staring.

“Fool,” he repeats.

I don’t have it in me to protest. I am. I know it; He knows it too. I reach out to catch his hand. He slips out of my reach. My own hand retreats.

“Why is it so dark in here?” I ask.

It’s such a simple, clueless inquiry. I nearly weep at the innocence of my own query. He merely tilts his head and sets the candle holder on the dresser beside the door.

Dragging the tip of his finger along the dusty wood of the doorframe, he sends me a small smile.

“Do you remember what I told you before?”

You’ve told me many things, I am tempted to say.

Instead, I shake my head. The times I’ve said whatever lingered on my tongue are all bitter memories.

He smiles. “What terrifies me the most?”

“To be alone with your thoughts,” I recall aloud.

“Yes.” He traces the rim of the brass candle holder before licking his index finger and thumb, pinching the wick the candle. The flame goes out.

“What does the darkness feel like, love?” he whispers.

It’s suffocating; I’m suffocating. I can see nothing. I only hear the sound of the gears in his body as they churn along and my own breathing. I am too loud, far too loud.

I fidget and shift nervously, bumping into a shelf.

Something tumbles off, hitting the floor with a sickening thud.

He can hear; I’m sure of it. He can hear the hitch in my breath; he can hear the loud thumping of my heart and all of a sudden I’ve never felt more scared than I do in this moment.

“What fell?” My voice trembles as the words pass my lips and I hate it.

“Do you want to see?” He sounds amused.

“Yes,” I reply automatically.

Soft hands cover my eyes and I can feel his breath gently hitting the auricle of my ear. My heartbeat accelerates. I have never been in control when he is around; he always seems to be the puppet master and I, the pliant marionette in his hands.

The lights are turned on. I can feel it. Relief floods through me. I know that if I opened my eyes right now, I would be able to see past the significant gaps between his fingers. I don’t. I don’t know why I don’t.

He drops his hands. “Look then,” he says softly.

I am greeted with the sight of bones, far too many bones to be littering his bedroom. Fear douses me in its icecold shower. The thing I knocked over is a skull and I come close to screaming, the eye sockets blankly staring at me in response. My heart is frighteningly loud in my ears. I want to run but I am frozen in place.

His hands massage my shoulders tenderly and he leans in to whisper in my ear, “You should not have opened that door.”

By Lena S. (Year 10)

71

Photography Mr Nastase graduated in 2014 “New Age Photography”, a private photography school in Bucharest, where he attended a one year course of technique and art in digital photography.

Some of his work was displayed at three collective photo exhibitions, as follows: “Street Delivery” (2014), “Bucharest in

72

black and white” (2014) and “Bucharest Calendar” (2015).

In his portfolio one can find landscapes, photo-essays, portraits, macro and close-up, photo reportage, but his favourite pictures are those related to street photography.

..continued My name is Achille R. and I am a former student of IBSB. I don’t exactly remember why I started taking pictures, however I did manage to remember it was back in 2013. My favourite thing about photography is the composition, the

”painting” of a picture and the emotions the photographer chooses to highlight. I think black and white suits my urban photography style even though some pictures are better left in their original colour.

73

Ballroom of Boxes

As she pushes through the colorful boxes that obstruct her way, the flower on her head loses its fifth floret. She stops and tilts her eyes to face her waterlily dahlia. It smiles at her as she reaches up to stroke its remaining florets.

and they are faced with a very, very dark hole.

For a second, the girl falters. She’s scared of the dark and fears heights. Then she remembers Miss Dahlia.

Courage blossoms through her again as she takes in a deep breath.

“Don’t cry, Miss Dahlia,” she says softly to the plant. “I’ll “We’ll see each other again,” she whispers to the plant. find the door and get you home.”

“I’ll miss you, Miss Dahlia.”

The pseudanthium does not respond and merely loses The plant says nothing but she knows that the dahlia is another floret in defeat. The girl refuses to back down. If excited as well to get home. With a clench of her hands they do not find the exit before the dahlia loses all her and bracing her nerves, the girl jumps. florets, they will be trapped in this endless ballroom of Some time later, when the girl has reached sixteen years boxes. She will not let this happen. of age, she encounters the pseudanthium again.

Though the dahlia’s stem is already extremely curved and some of its florets have already fallen off, the girl It is when she is on a picnic with her friends. She is does not lose hope. She knows that the flower looks dressed in a smock dress and sports clunky boots as the forward to feeling sunlight again and having children of weather is fine. Her friends are laughing and flirting its own. She herself can hardly wait to get home to taste amongst each other while she alone wanders into the her mother's delicious baking and curl up in her fluffy garden that borders the lake. bed.

The air is fresh and filled with floral fragrances. She skips They press on. The florets have already started to fall at through the greenery, running her hands along the a faster pace as the dahlia starts to lose faith. This hedge that runs beside her. Then she stops. She smiles. worries the girl.

“Hello, Miss Dahlia. It’s good to see you again,” she sings “Miss Dahlia, please don’t give up,” the girl pleads. “Just to her old friend, her greeting accompanied by a polite curtsey. a little while longer? Please?”

She shoves a yellow box away, revealing a beautifully carved trapdoor. She squeals in delight and peeks up.

The dahlia has visibly brightened and this brings warmth to the little girl’s heart. She wrestles the trapdoor open 74

By Lena S. (Year 10)